South African Journal for Science and Technology ISSN: (Online) 2222-4173, (Print) 0254-3486 Page Page 1 ofi of 13 ii InhoudsopgaweOorspronklike Navorsing

Ramsar wetlands in : Historic and current aquatic research

Author: Wetlands provide numerous goods and services and therefore they should be protected from W Malherbe anthropogenic impacts. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Affiliations: was approved as part of legislation in South Africa during 1975 and currently approximately Water Research Group, Unit half a million hectares are protected at 23 sites. The Ramsar Convention was created to for Environmental Science protect wetlands from degradation and loss of biodiversity, especially the maintenance of and Management, North- West University, Private habitats. However, many of the Ramsar wetlands in South Africa lack aquatic diversity Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, and present ecological state information, specifically fish, macroinvertebrate and diatoms, 2520, South Africa and in cases where there is information it is often outdated. Therefore, this study was Corresponding author: initiated to increase the available aquatic information of Ramsar sites. The Ramsar sites Wynand Malherbe that have been selected include Kosi Bay, Lake Sibaya, Makuleke Wetlands, Barberspan, malherbewynand@gmail. De Hoop Vlei, Heuningnes Estuary, and Ntsikeni Nature Reserve. The project embarked com +27 83 739 6911 on numerous surveys from 2014 to 2016. The project outcome provided updated aquatic biodiversity information for diatom, zooplankton, macroinvertebrate and fish communities Dates: at these sites together with the historic research that has been completed. The results Received: 05/12/2017 Accepted: 14/08/2018 also reflected the uniqueness of each of these systems, thereby highlighting the need for Published: monitoring programmes suitable for each system. The results from this project will be able to support the information requirements that are specified within the Ramsar Convention. How to cite this article: Malherbe W., Ramsar wetlands in South Africa: Historic and current aquatic research, Ramsar-vleilande in Suid-Afrika: Historiese en huidige akwatiese navorsing: Vleilande Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif verskaf ’n verskeidenheid van goedere en funksies en dus moet die vleilande wat nog vir Natuurwetenskap en natuurlik is, beskerm word. Die Ramsar-konvensie vir vleilande van internasionale belang is Tegnologie 37(1) (2018) al vanaf 1975 in werking in Suid-Afrika en omtrent ’n half miljoen hektaar word beskerm by ’n Afrikaanse vertaling van 23 lokaliteite. Die konvensie is daar om biodiversiteit te bewaar en veral waadvoëlhabitat te die manuskrip is aanlyn beskerm. in Suid-Afrika is baie van hierdie lokaliteite swak bestuur en min inligting oor die beskikbaar by http://www. satnt.ac.za/index.php/satnt/ akwatiese biodiversiteit is beskikbaar. Waar daar wel inligting beskikbaar is, is die inligting article/view/667 verouderd en geen nuwer inligting is beskikbaar nie. Om hierdie rede is daar ’n studie geloods om te bepaal watter historiese inligting beskikbaar is vir die Ramsar-lokaliteite en Copyright: © 2018. Authors. om dan van hierdie gapings in die literatuur aan te vul. Die Ramsar-lokaliteite wat gekies Licensee: Die Suid- is vir hierdie projek was Kosibaai, Sibaya-meer, Ntsikeni-natuurreservaat, Barberspan, Afrikaanse Akademie vir De Hoop Vlei, Heuningnesgetyrivier en die Makuleke-vleilande. Verskeie veldopnames Wetenskap en Kuns. This work is licensed under is gedoen by die lokaliteite vanaf 2014 tot 2016 tesame met ’n studie van die beskikbare the Creative Commons literatuur. Die resultate van die projek het gelei tot nuwe inligting oor die biodiversiteit Attibution License. en verspreiding van diatome, soöplankton, makroinvertebrate en visgemeenskappe by die verskeie Ramsar-lokaliteite. Hierdie inligting is nou beskikbaar om die inligting wat die Ramsar-konvensie vereis, op te dateer en ook om bestuursplanne aan te pas. Die resultate het getoon dat baie van die gemeenskappe uniek is of unieke eienskappe het, wat maak dat daar gepaste moniteringsprogramme vir elke lokaliteit benodig word.

Introduction There are several definitions of wetlands but in the South African context, the National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998) provides the most important one. It describes a wetland as the “transition area between the terrestrial and aquatic environment where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the soils are periodically covered with shallow water and that the environment under normal conditions maintains or can maintain vegetation adapted to survive in water- saturated soil”. However, the definition of a wetland according to the Ramsar Convention is much broader, and describes wetlands as areas of swamp, peat, or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with standing water or flowing water, fresh, brackish or saltwater and that includes saltwater to a depth of six meters below the low-water mark (Malherbe et al. 2017).

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Wetlands are considered to be important ecosystems wetlands and water across international borders as worldwide as they provide various ecological services, their habitats usually cross national borders (Breedt and depending on the type of wetland (Davies and Day 1998). Dippenaar 2013). Furthermore, the purpose of the treaty These services include, inter alia, the habitat for wetland- was to reduce wetland losses, encourage the wise use of associated and plants, biodiversity between wetlands, increase the protection of wetlands, encourage terrestrial systems or along river systems, base flow for further skills development, and encourage stakeholders rivers, flood attenuation, improvement of areas where to fulfil the responsibilities of the Ramsar Treaty (Cowan anthropogenic impacts such as nutrients and sediments 1995). are found in surface water, and the provision of areas that have value for tourism or recreational activities (Day and Currently, there are 23 different areas falling under the Malan 2010). protection of the Ramsar Convention in South Africa (Figure 1). The latest additions to South Africa’s Ramsar The survival of wetlands worldwide is threatened by sites have been the False Bay Wetland Park (April 2015) human activities. In rural areas, wetlands are threatened by and Bot-Kleinmond Estuary (March 2017). These additions agricultural activities such as the cultivation and drainage bring the total area of Ramsar areas in South Africa to of wetlands to create additional areas for agriculture. approximately 556 000 hectares. It is a relatively small area Water is also canalised away from wetlands. It is used compared to the total size of wetlands in South Africa, extensively from boreholes, which leads to a loss of water which have been estimated at 3.5 million hectares. When in wetlands, while the creation of roads and bridges looking at the distribution of Ramsar sites in South Africa, leads to erosion of wetlands. Nutrient content can also be there is at least one locality in each province, except for increased in wetlands by livestock waste and the return the Eastern Cape Province. Furthermore, there are five flows of agricultural lands that are potentially loaded with locations on the east coast near the border, fertilisers and pesticides (Day and Malan 2010). Industrial including Kosi Bay, St Lucia, Ndumu Game Reserve, Lake impacts can also lead to a loss of wetlands through Sibaya and the Pondoland Coast turtle beaches. Currently, contaminated water, drainage of wetlands and many other all 23 Ramsar sites are preserved as national or provincial activities from industrial plants. The impacts of urban protected areas (Figure 1). areas also impact on wetlands and wetland conditions such as filling, flow spreading, drainage and channelling so that Unfortunately, many of the catchment areas for these additional space for industrial or urban developments can locations fall outside the protected areas and thus there are be developed. potential impacts that can occur in the aquatic environment. In several cases, the Ramsar sites are wetlands that are not The realisation that wetlands are being systematically currently covered by any national monitoring programme, destroyed worldwide, has led to the emergence of various with the exception of the National Estuary Monitoring actions to protect wetlands (Breedt and Dippenaar 2013). Programme that has recently been initiated. Thus, the The origin of the Ramsar Convention for Wetlands of ecological state of wetlands is rarely monitored on a International Importance in the 1970s was one of the first national scale. Detailed research on the Ramsar wetlands international conventions for environmental protection is also limited except for some of the more prominent (Ramsar Secretariat 2016). The Ramsar Convention is a wetlands, as in the case of St Lucia. In other cases, such as treaty between various countries that provides a framework the Barberspan Nature Reserve, no aquatic research has for national actions and international cooperation to been carried out since the early 1970s. protect wetlands, but also to ensure the associated natural resources can be used sustainably (Ramsar Secretariat For South Africa to fulfil its obligation to the Ramsar 2016). Currently, there are 169 countries that have signed Convention, the current ecological state of every Ramsar the convention and there are 2 234 localities registered site must be updated every six years. This is to determine under the Ramsar Convention. The area it covers in terms if the wetland is still of international importance or not. As of wetland protection is approximately 215 million hectares much of the Ramsar Wetland information on the current (Ramsar Secretariat 2016). conditions is unknown, there is a need to determine the current ecological state in these wetlands. However, the Ramsar wetlands in South Africa present conditions are difficult to determine if there is no reference information or framework available. Thus, the purpose of this study was to review the available South Africa became part of the Ramsar Convention in information of certain Ramsar wetlands in South Africa, 1975 with the designation of the De Hoop Nature Reserve briefly evaluate the research already completed on these and Barberspan Nature Reserve as Ramsar wetlands of selected wetlands, and identify gaps in our knowledge international importance (Ramsar Secretariat 2017). South regarding these wetlands. Africa was the fifth country that signed the International Convention (Cowan 1995), with the aim of protecting

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are available. Current research is still mostly focused on Barberspan Nature Reserve bird communities with little attention paid to the aquatic The Barberspan Nature Reserve was one of the first two sites environment, as well as the impact or potential impact of in South Africa designated as a Ramsar protected site in poor water quality from the Harts River. This poor water 1975. Barberspan is one of the few permanent waterbodies quality is derived from effluents released from sewage in the western highveld (North West province) during the works as well as agricultural activities in the catchment dry winter months (Swart and Cowan 1994). Originally, area (Golder Associates 2011). Barberspan was a temporary depression (pan), but in 1918, a connection to the Harts River was created that changed the When looking at different groups of aquatic organisms system into a perennial system. The change in hydrology at Barberspan, it can be seen that no algal research has has resulted in an excellent habitat for water birds as well been completed except for a study on desmids from 1928 as the recreational fishing community. The perennial nature (Levanets and van Rensburg 2011). A study on zooplankton of the system provides food and shelter for large numbers was completed by Combrinck (1966) in 1966, but no other of water birds during the dry winter months when most of invertebrate studies were available until research by Henri the water sources dry up in the area. Barberspan also hosts et al. (2014), Foster et al. (2015) and de Necker et al. (2016). many migratory birds that use the reserve as a stopover Henri et al. (2014) investigated the number of Branchiopoda or overwintering location. Approximately 365 bird species taxa which could hatch from dried sediment, while de have been identified in the reserve, of which about 60 are Necker et al. (2016) sampled invertebrates and zooplankton migratory species (SABAP2 2016). in a study focused on temporary pans in the Delareyville area. This research found that there were about 19 different Barberspan had a research station on waterfowl during macroinvertebrate taxa in Barberspan. The latest studies the 1970s and 1980s, but unfortunately the research station on Barberspan (Malherbe et al. 2017) completed various no longer exists. Research at Barberspan was therefore surveys from 2014 to 2016 for diatoms, zooplankton, and primarily focused on the birds (and more specifically water macroinvertebrate diversity. These studies found that birds) and little information is available on the aquatic 22 different diatom species, 12 zooplankton taxa, and 48 ecosystem. Unpublished studies in the 1960s regarding macroinvertebrate taxa occurred at Barberspan (Malherbe the nutritional habits of fish (Enslin 1966; Schoonbee et al. 2017) (Table 1). 1969) and aquatic invertebrate communities (Roode 1967)

Figure 1: Map of the 23 different locations in South Africa that have been declared as Ramsar wetlands of international importance. Green squares indicate the different sites included in the present review and study.

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The fish community of Barberspan consists of the following western KNP border to the Mozambique border on the ten species: Labeobarbus aeneus, Labeo umbratus, L. capensis, Limpopo River and from Lanner Gorge on the Luvhuvhu Cyprinus carpio (exotic), Pseudocrenilabrus philander, Tilapia River until the confluence with the Limpopo River at Crooks sparrmanii, Gambusia affinis (exotic), Enteromius paludinosus, Corner (Deacon 2007). The wetland area is about 7 700 ha, E. anoplus and Clarias gariepinus. The available information while the various depressions cover about 350 ha (Deacon on the fish community dates back to studies in the 1960s by 2007). The Ramsar area consists of about 30–31 floodplain Goldner (1967) and Enslin (1966), which were completed depressions (or pans) that are seasonally filled from the at the then Potchefstroom University (now North-West rivers. Some of these pans have their own catchment area University). These studies focused on the population and are fed by various streams. The pans are important for structure of the fish community (Goldner 1967) and a the breeding and feeding of various animals and birds that functional nutrition study of various fish species (Enslin occur within the Makuleke Wetlands. Furthermore, the 1966; Schoonbee 1969). pans serve as a stopover for several migratory bird species, especially in the Limpopo River’s floodplains where the More recent fish information can only be found for the pans hold water longer than in the Luvhuvhu River. The nearby Leeupan in the form of a fish kill study after a major largest pan in the Ramsar area is Banyini, which consists of fish kill in November 2013 (Grant 2013). During this study, an area of approximately 162 ha. the cause of death of mostly Cyprinus carpio in Leeupan was investigated as it presented a risk of botulism in birds. The The available information for the various aquatic study found that extremely high diatom populations were organisms found in the Makuleke Wetlands is extremely present in the system that then led to an oxygen deficiency limited. It is mostly for the Luvhuvhu and Limpopo rivers in the fish (Grant 2013). and not the actual wetlands and includes various studies on the tigerfish Hydrocynus vittatus in the Luvhuvhu River Since there are several sources indicating that Barberspan (Smit et al. 2013; Gerber et al. 2016), as well as river health is contaminated with metals, samples of C. gariepinus and (Smit et al. 2013). The most recent reports on river health L. capensis were collected during 2014 to determine whether of the Luvhuvhu and Limpopo rivers indicate that the metal levels were high in the muscle tissue (Malherbe et al. river sections in the KNP are largely natural (DWS 2014). 2015). The results showed that selected metals (chromium, However, other publications (Smit et al. 2013; Gerber copper, nickel and zinc) were similar to other studies in et al. 2015) have indicated that there are problems with the Vaal River system for C. gariepinus and L. capensis. The water quality in the Luvhuvhu River. The river health latest study available for Barberspan focused on metal information (DWS 2014) showed that the rivers contain at pollution in the eggs of certain bird species. The research least 56 macroinvertebrate families and 36 fish species. showed that the blue heron eggs had high concentrations of gold (Au), uranium (U), thallium (Tl) and platinum Until recently, the available data from the Makuleke pans (Pt) at Barberspan (Van der Schyff et al. 2016). The study and surrounding rivers did not include any information concluded that the selected metals did not come from on diatoms. Surveys in April and September 2015 showed the Barberspan catchment area, but rather from nearby that 70 different diatom species were found in about ten areas to the east where the birds feed before migrating to different sites, taking into account the drought conditions Barberspan to breed. experienced during 2015 (Malherbe et al. 2017). An interesting phenomenon was that each pan’s diatom Recently, the metazoan fish parasites of Enteromius community was unique and that only between 15–20 paludinosus and Pseudocrenilabrus philander from Baberspan species per pan was identified (Kock 2017; Malherbe et al. were reported (Truter et al. 2016). The study showed 2017). The diatom community in 2015 indicated in many P. philander was parasitised by the copepod Lernaea cases that the water quality could be classified as eutrophic cyprinacea, the monogenean Gyrodactylus thlapi, and four due to the nutrients found in the system. gryporhynchid metacestode (Cyclophyllidea) species: Paradilepis scolecina, P. maleki, Neogryporhynchus lasiopeius The zooplankton and macroinvertebrate communities of the and Valipora campylancristrota. Enteromius paludinosus Makuleke pans were previously only reported by Nesbitt was found to be infected with the monogenean parasites (2014). The study focused on the hydrology and ecology of Dogielius intorquens and Dactylogyrus teresae, as well as the pan, and more specifically the sediment particle spread, three unidentified Dactylogyrus spp. (Truter et al. 2016). vegetation and wetland habitat. The macroinvertebrates were collected in one survey and identified to family level Makuleke Wetlands, Kruger National (Nesbitt 2014). Recent studies showed that the zooplankton from ten pans (during surveys in April and September Park (KNP) 2015) consisted of approximately 15 different taxa (Table The Makuleke Wetlands are located in the northern part of I) (Dyamond 2017; Malherbe et al. 2017). The main groups the Kruger National Park in the floodplains of the Limpopo found in these studies were Branchiopoda and Copepoda, and Luvhuvhu rivers. The Ramsar area extends from the with each pan containing about 3–7 taxa.

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Information on the macroinvertebrate communities of the various pans in the Makuleke Wetlands is also scanty. The Makuleke Wetlands is one of the top birdwatching areas in Nesbitt (2014) study looked into the macroinvertebrates in South Africa. There are approximately 450 species found certain pans but the study was superficial and identified there (Sinclair and Whyte 1992), with Pel’s fishing owls few taxa. There are data available from the Luvhuvhu (Scotopelia peli), Pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus), Bohm’s River, where 28 taxa were identified from 18 genera (Moore spinetail (Neafrapus boehmi), mottled spinetail (Telacanthura and Chutter 1988). The recent study by Dyamond (2015) ussheri), mountain (Motacilla clara) and Basra reed led to the identification of 108 taxa at the various Makuleke warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis) being more common in the pans (Table 1). The macroinvertebrate communities were area than in other parts of South Africa (Deacon 2007). very diverse, but 2015 was a dry year and therefore it is The various pans also have several hippos (Hippopotamus expected that more taxa could possibly occur in wetter amphibius) and crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), especially years. Dyamond (2017) also found that the invasive snail, in the pans that hold water during the drier winter seasons. Tarebia granifera, occurred in certain pans in high densities; as many as 2 000–4 000 individuals were gathered with the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve sweep nets at certain pans. This can cause major impacts on the trophic structures of this ecosystem. The Ntsikeni wetland in the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve is one of the highest altitude wetlands in South Africa, at more There is only one published article about the fish community than 1 900 m above sea level. The wetland is located in the of the Makuleke Wetlands. This study investigated the southern part of the KwaZulu-Natal province between Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and Franklin and Creighton. Kokstad is about 45 km south of sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) species and how these Ntsikeni and is the largest town in the vicinity. The reserve fish used the wetlands for breeding and feeding purposes is approximately 9 200 ha, while the wetland covers about (Van der Waal 1998). A total of 38 fish species are known to 1 070 ha. occur in the Limpopo and Luvhuvhu Rivers (Skelton 2001), but the species that are mainly found in the wetlands are The wetland is named after the Ntsikeni Mountain located Brycinus imberi, Coptodon rendalli, Enteromius afrohamiltoni, on the eastern boundary of the nature reserve and is E. paludinosus, E. toppini, Hydrocynus vittatus, Labeo rosae, about 2 321 m above sea level (Blackmore, 2010). It is L. congoro, Micralestes acutidens, Oreochromis mossambicus, mostly an unchannelled valley-bottom wetland, but parts Schilbe intermedius, and Synodontis zambezensis. of the wetland have floodplain features especially to the northern side of the reserve. The reserve houses breeding Surveys of the fish communities conducted in 2015 (April, pairs of the critically endangered wattled crane (Bugeranus September and October) found that 15 fish species were carunculatus) as well as the Eurasian bittern (Botaurus present in the different pans (Malherbe et al. 2017). The stellaris), and is therefore incredibly important in South most prominent species were C. gariepinus, Enteromius Africa for the survival of these bird species. Furthermore, afrohamiltoni, Enteromius paludinosus, and Oreochromis there are records of the endangered long-toed tree frog mossambicus. There were also several individuals of (Leptopelis xenodactylus) that occur in the reserve. The Oreochromis niloticus, which is an alien fish species in South wetland is important for the storage of water and river Africa. As 2015 was a dry year, there is the possibility regulation of the Lubhukwini and Umzimkulu rivers so that more species would be found in years with higher that the communities can be assured of clean water as well rainfall. The fish health of 20 individuals of O. mossambicus as sufficient volumes of water. and 10 of C. gariepinus was also determined using the fish health assessment index (FHAI). The results for both fish The available river health information (DWS 2014) shows species showed that fish were mostly in a good condition. that the Lubhukwini River flowing out of the reserve Changes in liver morphology were one of the more striking is near-natural to natural, while the importance and variations observed (Malherbe et al. 2017). sensitivity of the river is also considered to be high. The reserve was previously used only as grazing and for There are approximately 33 different amphibian species in subsistence farming, and thus there are relatively few the Makuleke Wetlands, of which 28 are tropical species impacts on the system. Around the reserve there are large (Passmore et al. 1995). There is a possibility that more cultivated plantations of pine trees, while black-wattle species can be found with further studies as the area is very (Acacia mearnsii) forests occur in the reserve. close to the southern distributions of various amphibians and not many extensive surveys have been completed in the The Ntsikeni wetland has been poorly studied, with only one wetlands. One example is the dune squeaker (Arthroleptis study on the macroinvertebrates in the then Transkei (Bok stenodactylus) that occurs only in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and Cambray 1996; Burger 1996; Mangold and De Moore Mozambique and , and then in two places in the 1996). This report only provided family-level data for the north of the Kruger National Park, namely Bobomene on rivers in the area, with little or no research on the Ntsikeni the Luvhuvhu River and the Shipudza fountain (Deacon wetland as such. There was no available information on 2007). diatoms or algae in the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve before

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this study was initiated. Diatom samples collected during July 2015, December 2015 and April 2016, showed that The ecosystem health of the two rivers that flow into the approximately 45 diatom species were found at the various system varies from near natural in the Malangeni River, sites. There was also no information about zooplankton which flows into the southern parts, while the Swamanzi available for the reserve; however, Bester (2017) identified River, which flows from the west, has various impacts and 23 different taxa at the different sampling sites (Table I). major deviations from the natural conditions (DWS 2014). During the current study on the Ntsikeni Wetland, 115 The ecological importance and sensitivity of both systems macroinvertebrate taxa were identified in the Ntsikeni are considered very important. Previous studies in the river Ramsar area. There is no fish information available for the systems indicated that about 38 macroinvertebrate taxa reserve and no fish were collected during the 2015 and 2016 occur in these rivers (DWS 2014). surveys. This is most likely due to the high altitude and catchment area. The Ntsikeni Falls, located just outside the The human population beyond the boundaries of the reserve, is a major obstacle to any migrations of fish from iSimangaliso Wetland Park grows exponentially, leading lower altitudes. The only fish species that could possibly be to various impacts being present in Kosi Bay. Chemicals found are small minnows (Enteromius sp.). and fertilisers are used to increase agricultural productivity in the area. So far, this increase in use has not led to Several amphibians were found in the reserve, such as eutrophication of the Kosi Bay lakes, but it is a risk to the Amietia angolensis, Breviceps verrucosus, Cacosternum nanum, system. The use of DDT for indoor residual spraying is also Strongylopus grayii and Xenopus laevis. The total amphibian a source of concern. Previous studies have shown that DDT species in the reserve are estimated to be 19 species (DDE and TDE) were found in the sediment of Mpungwini (FrogMap 2016). There is a possibility that the endangered and Makhawulani, as well as in the fish tissue (Kyle 1995; long-toed tree frog (Leptopelis xenodactylus) occur there Humphries 2013). There are also a multitude of invasive (Blackmore 2010). species already found in the system, especially with the exponential increase of Eucalyptus sp. which has a direct The main attraction of the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve is the effect on the water table of the lakes’ catchment (Roeder bird population that occurs there, especially species such as 2014; Grundling et al. 2017). Other factors that threaten the cranes, white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura spp), and the the area are habitat loss, pollution and the interruption of Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris). All four different cranes ecological processes (Whitfield 1997). The use of gillnets found in South Africa can regularly be seen here, one of by the local communities in Nhlange was originally few places in the country where it is still possible. The implemented on a controlled basis, but it did unbelievable cranes also use the reserve as a breeding ground, especially damage to the fishing community and is thus only used the wattled crane, Bugeranus carunculatus. According to illegally now (Kyle 1995). the SABAP2 surveys, more than 200 species have been identified in the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve (SABAP2 2016). Kosi Bay maintains various aquatic invertebrate species, fish species, birds, mammals, and vegetation. Kosi Bay Certain species found here are endemic, threatened or at risk of extinction (Kyle 1995). Kosi Bay has two major The Kosi Bay Ramsar site (part of the iSimangaliso Wetland attractions for tourism: one is the unique rocky reef in the Park) is an estuary and coastal lake system consisting of estuary that houses a large variety of fish species; and two four connected lakes connected by a broad channel to the are the fish kraals used by the community to catch fish (Kyle Kosi Bay Estuary that flows into the Indian Ocean. The 1995; 2013). Algae and diatom research in Kosi Bay is limited system is located approximately 470 km north of Durban and only the general taxa are known. The most common with the nearest town, Manguzi, about 35 km from the algae in the system is the phytoplankton Microcystis sp. mouth. The entire Kosi Bay system covers approximately which occurs mainly in the uKhalwe inlet (Kyle 1995). The 11 000 ha while certain sand dunes are 102 m above sea zooplankton community in the Kosi Bay system is made up level (Kyle 1995). of marine and freshwater forms. The marine species occur in the tidal reaches, and even into Mpungwini depending There are three rivers flowing into the system and at on the influence of the tidal reach. The highest zooplankton least the first two lakes (Makhawulani and Mpungwini) density was found in Makhawulani’s eastern banks where are influenced by daily tides. The third and fourth lakes the water is retained the longest in the system. The majority (Amanzimnyana and Nhlange) are less affected by the tidal of the zooplankton consists of Pseudodiaptomus hessei, but changes and usually contain more freshwater (Harrison up to 50 taxa have already been recorded (Kyle 1995). 2002). The habitat in the systems is mostly swamp and root However, in general, the zooplankton community is poor forests, reeds, sand dunes, bushveld and coastal grassland. because of low food and nutrient levels. The sand dunes between the different Kosi lakes range from 600 m to 2 000 m in diameter and are mostly surrounded The benthic macroinvertebrates of Kosi Bay consist of by coastal forest vegetation. The system is relatively low in approximately 30 taxa, but this excludes Mpungwini and nutrients as the freshwater influx is limited. Makhawulani taxa. Species such as Callichirus kraussi,

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Brachidontes virgiliae and Neorhynchoplax bovis are known Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife regularly monitors the fish kraals to occur in the system. The Kosi Bay system is known and their catches, and the results of this programme over for its low diversity of shrimps, due to nutrients and silt the last 30 years have been described by Kyle (2013). Kyle levels in the system being low. The Insecta group is diverse observed a definite decline in fish abundance over the last in the system, and many are important in the benthic 30 years, ascribed to the number of fish kraals as well as the environment, such as the Chironomus spp. and Clinotanypus ‘state-of-the-art’ material used in newer fish kraals (Kyle spp. Species that are important to the mangroves include 2013). Recently, a study focused on the fish health of three the weaver ant (Oecophylla longinoda). species, namely Oreochromis mossambicus, Rhabdosargas sarba and Terapon jarbua. This study showed that the fish were in Recent studies on the macroinvertebrates have focused on good condition and no changes in organ appearance were invasive species as well as the Odonata group. One study observed (Beukes 2017). Holbach et al. (2012) looked at the looked at the indigenous and alien Gastropoda in several otolith chemistry of various fish species to determine their coastal lakes in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and one of migration patterns. the localities was Kosi Bay (Miranda and Perissonotto 2012). The study used stable isotopes to determine whether the diet The amphibian population in Maputaland area in Kwazulu- of alien and native snails overlaps and focused specifically Natal has more species than any other biographical area on the Tarebia granifera originating from South East Asia. investigated in the South African Frog Atlas Project in 2004. This snail has flourished in many southern African aquatic It has been found that there are 23 frog species, including systems where it dominates the invertebrate communities the indigenous and threatened Pickersgill reed frog (Kyle in the shallow waters (Miranda and Perissonotto 2012). A 1995). There are also five sea turtles that appear on the coast study on the Odonata in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park by along Kosi Bay, the most common being the leatherback Hart et al. (2014) also used Kosi Bay as a study location. The turtles (Kyle 1995). survey identified 49 Odonata during surveys conducted in February 2011. The surveys focused mainly on the adult Most bird species found in the Kosi Bay area are forest Odonata and did not take into account the aquatic stages. species and not necessarily wetland or tidal species. There Of all the sampling locations in the study, most of the are approximately 250 bird species, of which about 85 Odonata taxa were found at Kosi Bay (Hart et al. 2014). species can be associated with the estuary and coastal lakes. The Kosi Bay system is also the southern distribution limit The fish community in the Kosi Bay system has been for certain bird species on the bird atlas, and thus this is studied relatively more than any other group, as they are so the only area in South Africa where they can be viewed. important to the communities’ fishing practices. The Kosi Some of the rarer species include the white-winged flufftail Bay system is a very important area for juvenile fish species (Sarothrura spp), the white-backed night heron (Gorsachius from the marine environment to grow before migrating leuconotus) and the crab plover (Dromas ardeola). back to the sea. A study by Blaber (1978) indicated that there are 133 fish species found in the Kosi Bay. These Lake Sibaya species consist of approximately 86 marine species, 39 tidal species and nine freshwater species. There is also a Lake Sibaya is the largest natural freshwater lake in South long-term study implemented since 1980 on the use of the Africa and is located on the coastal plain in KwaZulu- fish resources in the system to ensure that levels of use are Natal. The lake is separated from the sea by a sand dune sustainable (Kyle and Robertson 1997). Kyle and Robertson forest, swamp forest and wet grasslands. It is located in (1997) also tagged fish species in the lakes to study fish the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu- movements, growth rates, mortality and population sizes. Natal about 430 km north-east of Durban. The lake is During the study, the 500 tagged Acanthopagrus berda were located between the Manzengwenya and Mbazwane collected using fishing rods, local fishermen, as well as plantations and the Mseleni plantation in the west. The 2 seine nets and gill nets. estimated catchment area is about 530 km , and the lake is approximately 60–70 km2 in size. The maximum depth has Several other studies focused on the sustainability of the fish been measured up to 43 m (Bowen 1979; Bruton 1979; Ward kraals and the recreational fisheries in the system. James et and Kyle 1990). Research completed in the immediate al. (2001) looked specifically at the recreational fishermen marine environment indicates that a large river historically and the particular species caught by them, using the catch flowed into the ocean at Sibaya (Ward and Kyle 1990). The records that were reported at the Kosi Bay camp on Lake river was probably the Phongolo River, which presently Nhlange. The data from 1986 to 1999 were analysed to flows northwards and into Maputo Bay in Mozambique. identify fish diversity, community structures and seasonal The lake supplies water to Mbazwane, and human activities variations, as well as the impact of the fish kraals on the are mainly grazing of livestock and agricultural activities, system. The fish kraals in the system increased from 66 mostly for personal use. A hydrogeological study of the in 1981 to 158 in 2001 (Green et al. 2006), and this led to Lake Sibaya catchment area was also recently completed an increase in fish from 40 000 in 1981 to 93 000 in 1993. (Weitz and Demlie 2015).

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Most of the available research on Lake Sibaya was from or Allanson (1979). The difference in diversity is possibly 1960 to 1970, when Rhodes University had a research due to the different locations, collection methods and station on the lake. The research focused on a wide potentially the changing environmental conditions from range of aspects including hydrology, habitat structure, 1966 to 2015. water quality, productivity, aquatic plants, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and The lake maintains a diverse community of zooplankton, 15 mammals (Allanson 1979). aquatic molluscs and many other species unique to South Africa (Ward and Kyle 1990). The zooplankton of Lake The research station closed down in the 1980s and since Sibaya are a diverse community that includes the copepod then relatively little research has been completed on the Tropocyclops brevis. Dominant species in the community lake. The research that is available reports on the presence are mostly Copepoda and Branchiopoda of the Cladocera of invasive snails (Peer et al. 2015; Raw et al. 2016), the group, and Rotifera is also common (Ward and Kyle concentrations of DDT in the sediment (Humphries 2013), 1990). No newer information from the zooplankton was as well as the accumulation of nutrients in the sediment available, except for research on the larger zooplankton (Humphries and Benitez-Nelson 2013). An investigation species where Lake Sibaya was one of the study sites (Peer by Humphries (2013) showed that the DDT concentration et al. 2015; Raw et al. 2016). The benthic macroinvertebrates at Lake Sibaya is of the highest values for sediment in found in the lake are characterised by crustaceans, snails, South Africa and most of the guidelines for sediment are crabs and shrimps, as well as polychaetes and nematode exceeded. Thus, there is potential for DDT to accumulate in worms. Insecta are represented by several families, but fish, bird and crocodile communities. no research has been done on this group since the 1960s and 1970s. These studies have shown that 15 Mollusca No collective research is available regarding the overall species have been found in Lake Sibaya, and 43 terrestrial condition of the lake and the impacts of human activities in Mollusca were found in the dune forest on the southern the catchment area. These days, the catchment area is more shore (Allanson 1979). densely populated, especially on the west side, which is located outside the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. A report in The fish community in Lake Sibaya consists of 18 species 2015 showed (DWS 2015a; 2015b) that the water quality of dominated by cichlids (four species) and gobies (three Lake Sibaya is mostly natural except for the western arm and species). One of the gobies (Silhouetta sibayi) has its largest the southern bowl. Both these areas are being impacted by the known population in Lake Sibaya, as few records exist at growing population, as well as the various pine plantations other places. The most abundant species in the lake are Clarias occurring in the areas. The water quality status was based on gariepinus (sharp tooth catfish), Glossogobius giuris (Ward temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and Kyle, 1995), Oreochromis mossambicus, Pseudocrenilabrus total carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. philander, and Tilapia sparrmanii (banded tilapia).

Lake Sibaya has numerous birds, reptiles, mammals and Lake Sibaya and the surrounding area has a diverse bird plant species that are endangered or endemic to the lake. It fauna with up to 279 species already recorded. Of these, maintains crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) and hippopotami 62 species directly require a water habitat for breeding, (Hippopotamus amphibius) populations as well. Studies have feeding or nesting habitats. The most abundant bird species shown that there is a decrease of 95–98% in the crocodile are cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles (Haliaeetus vocifer), numbers in Lake Sibaya, and only a small number of and a variety of darters and herons. Wading birds include reproducible individuals are surviving (Combrink et al. plovers, black winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), avocet, 2011). greenshank, spoonbills and herons, while crakes and African crakes can be found in sheltered bays. The available diatom information from Lake Sibaya is limited and is derived from Archibald (1966) as well as De Hoop Nature Reserve research conducted at the Rhodes research station in the 1970s (Allanson 1979). Archibald’s work (1966) identified The De Hoop Vlei was one of the first two wetlands, three species found for the first time in South Africa, as together with Barberspan, declared as a Ramsar locality in well as nine new species. Diatoms were collected in August South Africa in 1975. The De Hoop Vlei is located in the 2015, December 2015 and February 2015, and only one De Hoop Nature Reserve, about 56 km from Bredasdorp in of the new species found by Archibald (1966) was found the Western Cape Province (Figure 1). The De Hoop Nature again, namely Amphora lacustris. The only other reference Reserve is one of the largest natural areas managed by to this species in the literature is by Sánchez Castillo (1993) Cape Nature. The terrestrial reserve covers approximately 2 2 at an international diatom symposium in the Netherlands. 355 km , while the marine part covers about 253 km . Archibald (1966) identified 107 different species, while the 2015 study found only 59 species (Kock 2017; Malherbe et Historically, the De Hoop Vlei was a lagoon, but over al. 2017). Certain species were also found in the latter study time, dune activity has pushed the mouth closed. It is that had not been previously found by Archibald (1966) approximately 18 km long and 500 m wide, and can cover

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a total area of 6.2 km2 when it is full. The maximum depth et al. (2016) identified the nematode as Contracaecum sp., varies, but during floods it can be around seven meters while Van Rensburg and Moravec (2016) identified the deep, whilst in dry times the vlei can completely dry up (at metacercariae as part of the Clinostomidae family. least once in the last century) (Butcher 1984). During events of extensive floods, which occurred only twice this century The platanna, Xenopus laevis, is the most common (1906 and 1957) (Butcher 1984), an area of up to 3 000 ha on amphibian found in the De Hoop Vlei. In the 1960s, the plain south of De Hoop Vlei flooded to a depth of three terrapins (Pelomedusa subrufa) were also present in large meters. The water gradually retreated after the 1957 flood numbers (Brand 1961), but in the 1980s it was considered a and provided very favourable conditions for a variety of rarity (Butcher 1984). No information is available about the wetland-dependent birds for up to ten years afterwards. current state of the community. The amphibian species list Currently the altitude is 4–11 m above the average sea level. for De Hoop Vlei currently stands at ten species (FrogMap 2016). The Salt River and the Potteberg River are the two most important rivers that supply the De Hoop Vlei with water. The bird community of De Hoop Vlei has been studied There are also fountains in the northern part of the Vlei relatively well, but most information regarding species that have led to less brackish water in these sections. The and distribution is available from the Southern African catchment area of the Salt River falls outside the De Hoop Bird Atlas Project 2 data (SABAP2 2016). The data show Nature Reserve, mostly in private ownership, and is used that 233 bird species of the 370 species found in the South for various agricultural purposes (Butcher 1984). Available Western Cape were recorded at De Hoop Vlei (Hëyl 1983). information for the catchment area indicates that it is near According to Hëyl (1983), approximately 259 bird species natural with few changes in quality (DWS 2014). were identified in De Hoop Vlei in 1983. The coordinated waterfowl count (CWAC) is also completed at De Hoop The aquatic research at De Hoop Vlei is scanty, considering Vlei every year, showing that between 50 and 75 wetland- its Ramsar status, which has been valid since 1975. dependant species frequent this area. The number of bird No published information about algae, diatoms or species that can be seen at De Hoop Vlei is attributed to the phytoplankton of the De Hoop Vlei is available. Similarly, habitat diversity in the area (Uys and Macleod 1987). no available and published information about zooplankton could be found. Conversations with Cape Nature also Heuningnes Estuary (De Mond indicated that no current monitoring of the biological components of the ecosystem is being completed. Nature Reserve) The Heuningnes Estuary is located on the south coast, about In addition to a study on Arachnida found in wet zones 25 km from Bredasdorp in the Western Cape Province, of the wetland (Haddad and Dippernaar-Schoeman 2009), between Arniston and Struis Bay. The estuary is located there is no published information on invertebrates in the in the De Mond Nature Reserve and borders various De Hoop Vlei. Data from the River Health Programme agricultural areas to the north. The wetland consists of the from 2000 to 2005 indicated that around 5–15 families were estuary, the sand dunes, and the salt marshes found in the found on various sampling occasions in the Salt River. A reserve. The area is very important for various bird species survey in March 2015 found 17 different families from De that breed there, especially migratory water birds. There is Hoop Vlei (Malherbe et al. 2017). The survey also included also habitat within the estuary for seahorses from the genus an isolated temporary depression, which had kept water Hippocampus (Western Cape Forest Region 1986). from the previous rainy season, containing 11 invertebrate families. The dominant families in the study were mostly The Heuningnes Estuary is the southernmost estuary in Pomatiopsidae, Chironomidae and Corixidae. These taxa Africa, and is very important for science as it contains the are usually generalist taxa that are adapted to occur in a most southern distribution records for various species, wide range of aquatic ecosystems. including three tropical species. These species are the ginger prawn (Penaeus japonicus), the large mud crab The fish community in De Hoop Vlei contains only one (Scylla serrata), and the nerite gastropod Nerita albicilla. The native fish species, Sandelia capensis (Siegfried 1963). Heuningnes Estuary is one of the top 25 important estuaries However, it is possible that Galaxia zebratus occurs in the in South Africa in terms of conservation importance based Salt River, and possibly also in the course of De Hoop Vlei. on size, habitat, rarity and biodiversity (Turpie et al. 2002). The native Oreochromis mossambicus, which naturally occurs A study by Turner (2012) showed that the various ecological in northern South Africa, was translocated to the De Hoop components of the estuary vary between good and very Vlei in the 1960s (Van Rensburg 1966; Scott and Hamman good when ecological status is used as a benchmark. 1988). It now appears in large numbers in the system and dominates the fish biomass in the system, possibly at the The Heuningnes Estuary and the Heuningnes River are fed expense of the indigenous Cape kurper, Sandelia capensis. A by the Kars River as well as Zoetendalsvlei, which receives study on the parasites of S. capensis showed that nematodes, water from the Nuwe Jaars River. The Nuwe Jaars River as well as metacercariae, were present on the fish. Moravec current state is largely modified from the natural conditions

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(DWS 2014). No information is available for the Kars and A study on the ecology, osmoregulation and reproductive Heuningnes Rivers. The Heuningnes system is mostly under biology of the white steenbras (Lithognathus lithognathus) pressure due to changes in freshwater inflow, pollution, was conducted in the Heuningnes Estuary (Mehl 1973). fishing, bait collection and habitat loss (Turner 2012). The study showed that the estuary provides an abundant and varied diet for white steenbras, which occur in large The available aquatic information of the Heuningnes numbers throughout the river, and the estuary provides Estuary is quite sparse, but in some aspects, more is known an ideal habitat for the maturation of juvenile fish. A larval here than at other Ramsar locations in South Africa. No fish study of the Heuningnes River (Montoya-Maya and information is available about the diatoms in the system; Strydom 2009) found that 18 species were captured from 11 however, mention has been made that green algae families. The dominant families were Gobiidae with 89.4%, (Enteromorpha linga and other Enteromorpha spp.), Ulva sp. Atherinidae with 4.2% and Blenniidae with 3.4% of the total as well as Arthrocarcia spp., occur in the area (Mehl 1973). catch. The dominant species were Caffrogobius gilchristi with 72.9%, Psammogobius knysnaensis with 12.5% and Atherina Zooplankton research in the estuary is also fairly limited, breviceps with 4.2% of the total catch (Montoya-Maya and but a study by Montoya-Maya and Strydom (2009) Strydom 2009). The spread and biogeography of South looked at the composition, distribution and numbers of African tributaries was done during the 1990s and one of the zooplankton in the estuary. They found that the dominant study localities was the Heuningnes Estuary. Harrison (1999) groups consisted mostly of Copepoda (81%), Amphipoda found that 24 species of fish occurred in the Heuningnes (6.1%) and Cladocera (5.1%). The dominant taxa were during those surveys. Of these species, two were freshwater Pseudodiaptomus hessei (44.1%), Cyclopoida (22.3%) and species (Sandelia capensis and Galaxia zebratus), five were Harpacticoida (8.5%). estuarine species, 14 were estuary-dependent marine species, and three were marine fish species. The Heuningnes Estuary may have a tidal influx of up to 12 km, especially since the mouth has been artificially kept The bird community of the Heuningnes Estuary has been open since 1976. This causes a very strong marine impact on studied relatively well, but most species and distribution the aquatic communities. Macroinvertebrate communities in information is available from the Southern African Bird the source rivers are relatively low with a maximum number Atlas Project 2 data (SABAP2 2014). The data showed that of families of 13 found by the River Health Programme about 246 bird species (of the 370 species that occur in the between 2004 and 2013. The average family diversity was southern Western Cape) were recorded at the De Mond approximately seven at the various freshwater monitoring Nature Reserve (Hëyl 1983). The coordinated waterfowl sites. Other studies of invertebrates included a study by counts (CWAC) are also completed each year, indicating Hodgson (2010) on the reproductive seasonality of the that approximately 26 species have occurred that are southern African coast and estuary invertebrates where dependent on wetlands. Bird species that frequently the Heuningnes Estuary formed part of the study area. The make nests in the sand dunes of the reserve include Heuningnes Estuary was also used in a study on seagrass Larus dominicanus, giant stars (Hydroprogne caspia), the ratios in temperate South African estuaries (Kallen et al. 2012). African oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini), the blue crane In a field survey in March 2015, several benthic samples were (Anthropoides paradisea), the Karoo prinia (Prinia maculosa), taken to obtain macroinvertebrates from the mouth along the Kittlitz plover (Charadrius pecuarius) and the Egyptian the tidal influx of the Heuningnes Estuary (Malherbe et al. goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) (Underhill 1984). The pied 2017). The results showed that approximately 50 taxa were kingfisher Ceryle rudis also regularly breeds in the area. found at the various sites and this list included Polychaeta, Bivalvia, Hirudiniae, Decapoda, Amphipoda, Mollusca, Discussion Gastropoda and Isopoda. The current aquatic information of many Ramsar sites The fish community in the Heuningnes system is divided in South Africa is limited and only certain sites (e.g. St into freshwater and marine taxa. Cambray and Stuart (1985) Lucia Lake in iSimangaliso Wetland Park) have been conducted a study on the red fin minnows in the Breede River well studied. There are also various levels of detail and system, which found that the species Pseudobarbus burchelli is components studied in the various locations (Table 1). endemic to the Heuningnes River. In 2007, the Western Cape The bird communities are well known in most cases, but Province mentioned in a report on the state of biodiversity other components such as water quality, diatoms, algae, that the Heuningnes River red fin is critically endangered, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and fish communities as it occurs only in one catchment area and is under extreme have been poorly studied. In the case of Barberspan and risk of extinction. The Agulhas Galaxia sp. is also a species Lake Sibaya, the systems were well studied as research where the risk of being eradicated is large as it occurs only in stations in the 1960s and 1970s existed at these locations, the Heuningnes and Nuwe Jaars rivers (Cape Nature 2007). but unfortunately those stations have been closed down A further study on the phylogeny and biogeography of the and newer information is therefore limited. genus Pseudobarbus (Cyprinidae) from the Heuningnes River was also completed by Swartz et al. (2009).

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Table 1 illustrates the overall biodiversity (in terms of taxa in South Africa were surveyed in this study and follow- richness) found during recent studies at selected Ramsar up work is urgently needed for some of the other Ramsar wetlands in South Africa. It is clear that there are still gaps sites. Lastly, newer molecular identification techniques are in the available information for these sites. Current studies needed to determine the aquatic biodiversity accurately, have shown that the Ramsar wetlands in many cases have especially with regard to the diatoms, zooplankton and unique characteristics. One example was the Makuleke macroinvertebrates. Wetlands where each pan had a unique composition of diatoms and macroinvertebrates. It also means that Acknowledgements each pan increases overall diversity, so every pan must be protected as far as possible. Should only one of these The author would like to acknowledge the Water Research specific pans be degraded by human activities, the risk of Commission for their sponsorship of the funds to complete losing biodiversity in these pans increases. the project (K5/2352). The Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns as well as the PUK Kanselliers The biodiversity of all the Ramsar sites is important Trust are also thanked for their financial contribution information that is needed to protect these systems so that to the study. Recognition also goes to Dr Kerry Hadfield sufficient management plans can be developed for each Malherbe for her assistance throughout this study. The location. These management plans are essential as all the following persons also contributed during the project: Dr M sites in this study have experienced impacts due to human Ferreira, Dr R Gerber, A Kock, J Beukes, E Bester, E Lubbe, activities. In some cases, the impact was minimal, but in A Greyling, L Erasmus, C Builder, H Coetzee, G Stander, M other locations, the impact was much greater. The most Truter, K Dyamond, L Hermann, P Garzia, Dr K McHugh, common threats to the Ramsar sites were habitat loss, Dr I Prykrilova, Dr R Greenfield, Prof JHJ van Vuren, Prof nutrient increase, pollutants, rural and urban intrusion, V Wepener and Prof NJ Smit. Prof K de Kock and Prof A invasive species (including invasive parasites [Smit et Combrinck are also thanked for their proofreading of the al. 2017]), and poor land use management. Management manuscript. and monitoring of the Ramsar sites is the only strategy to monitor these impacts and to send an early warning if the Declaration of interests risk increases. The author hereby declares that he has no financial or personal relationship with any party that could have had Newer data and monitoring of South Africa’s Ramsar sites an adverse or beneficial effect on the writing of this article. is critical to create a good basis for future monitoring of potential ecosystem changes due to human activities. Data of the sites should be updated every six years as required References Allanson, B.R. 1979. Lake Sibaya. Monographiae Biologicae 36, 1–364, W. Junk, The by the Ramsar Convention. This study of Ramsar sites in Hague. South Africa has found that there are several gaps in the Archibald, R.E.M. 1966. Some new and rare diatoms from South Africa 2. Diatoms current aquatic information, and from this, several potential from Lake Sibayi and Lake Nhlange in Tongaland (Natal). Nova Hedwigia 12, 476–498. research recommendations have been made. Firstly, a Bester, E. 2017. Diversity of zooplankton and aquatic macroinvertebrates in national monitoring programme is required to monitor all of the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve. Unpublished MSc dissertation, North-West these different sites for adverse human impacts. Secondly, University. more detailed studies will be required to determine which Beukes, J. 2017. Health assessment of fishes from coastal lakes on the east coast of components will be the best reflections of environmental South Africa. Unpublished MSc dissertation, North-West University. conditions and will also be the best indicators for each Blaber, S.J.M. 1978. Fishes of the Kosi system. Lammergeyer 24, 28–41. location. Thirdly, water and sediment quality, diatoms, Blackmore, A. 2010. Information sheet on Ramsar wetlands (RIS) – 2006 - 2008 version; 2010. https://rsis.ramsar.org/RISapp/files/RISrep/ZA1904RIS. macroinvertebrates, and fish are essential for monitoring pdf?language=en [Accessed 25 Jan 2015]. these Ramsar systems. Fourthly, only seven of the 23 sites

Table 1: Summary table of the species richness found from the recent studies (2014–2017) for the various organisms at the selected Ramsar sites. As far as possible, the species richness refers to species level identification, but some taxa were only identified to genus or order level. Details on this can be found in Malherbe et al. (2017). Wetland Taxa found within the selected Ramsar wetlands Diatoms Zooplankton Macroinvertebrate Fish Amphibians Birds Barberspan 22 12 48 10 8 365 Makuleke 70 12 108 15 33 450 Ntsikeni 45 23 115 – 19 200 Kosi Bay NA 50 30 133 23 250 Lake Sibaya 59 – 107 NA NA 18 22 279 De Hoopvlei NA NA 17 2 10 233 Heuningnes Estuary NA NA 50 24 NA 246 NA – not available

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